Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was on a two-day visit to Odisha for various official programmes, on Thursday collected soil from Biraharekrushnapur, the native of great freedom fighter Jayee Rajguru, in Puri district.
Accompanied by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra and other senior party leaders, Sitharaman paid an official visit to Biraharekrushnapur and collected soil from Rajguru’s birthplace and put it in an Amrit Kalash under the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign. She will take the soil with her to New Delhi.
Earlier in the morning, Sitharaman visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri and offered prayers to the deities. She also praised a sand art made by acclaimed sand sculptor Sudarsan Pattnaik on the theme ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ at Blue Flag Beach in Puri town.
Later, she went to the Shri Sadashiv Campus near Penthakata in Puri to attend a plantation drive under the programme ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’.
Addressing the students, Sitharaman highlighted on Panch Pran (five elements) described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to nation from Red Fort on the occasion of 77th Independence Day celebrations.
Sitharaman had arrived at Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. She attended a programme to pay tribute to former Cuttack Mayor late Nibedita Pradhan at the BJP office in Bhubaneswar.
